Category Archives: Employment

The advent of social media has changed the world and people’s thinking forever. From serving as a source of social interaction to information dissemination and a platform for democratic advancement, social media is now a silent weapon that will either help or ruin your chances into that dream job.

You have all of the qualifications and did a very good interview, but you were not hired. Have you ever wondered about some of the reasons? Technology is greatly advancing, and there are lots of advances or discoveries moving alongside its progression. One of those developments is the emergence of social media. According to Statista, Facebook is placed first with 1.35 billion users, China’s Qzone with 629 million, followed by LinkedIn with 332 million, Instagram 300 million and Twitter 284 million users. These statistics evidently indicate that the social media possess a huge number of users or followers. These users or followers can be put into two categories. The first category of users posts various contents ranging from pictures to texts, videos, personal information, résumés, and the likes. While the first category of users is involved in information sharing, the second category of users checks the posted contents from the first category of users. For this paper, the first category of users is considered as the job seekers, job applicants or candidates and the second group of users is classified as employers, hiring officers or human resource professionals. Among these networks, Jobvite survey shows that 79 percent of respondents assert that they hire via LinkedIn with 26 percent through Facebook and 14 percent via Twitter. My concern here is the usage of social media by both job seekers and employers.

Due to the population and the nature of contents being posted on these social networks, employers or hiring officers have turned to these networks to conduct some background checks on job seekers. There is a debate in the circles of human resource professionals on the legality of such background checks by recruitment officers since indeed they rely on the use of social networks. Even amid this debate, human resource officers continue to use social media to conduct background screenings. In the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) 2013 Survey which gathered information from its member institutions on the use of social media for job recruitment, the survey shows that 77 percent of companies that responded used the social media. In another survey, Careerbuilder.com interviewed 2,303 hiring officials and HR professionals about the reasons for the incorporation of social media into their hiring process. It was discovered that 37 percent of employers used the social media to screen potential job applicants. A report released by the Jobvite (2014 edition of its annual recruiting survey) shows that 93 percent of hiring officials assessed an applicant’s social media profile prior to hiring. The data also revealed that 51 percent of hiring officers considered applicants due to what they found, but 61 percent decided not to hire.

What does this signal to job seekers? What are employers or hiring officers searching for that cannot be found during the job interviews or on the résumés? Many job recruiters carry the ideology that on résumés or during job interviews, applicants will always display their best character or experience. Do employers search for the negative or positive character of the applicants or both?

Employers are usually in the professional habit of recruiting the best applicants who possess both job-fit competence and good character. Since the social media to some extent provides pieces of information that exhibit the true character of a person, recruiters are now running to the social networks to gather genuine information. Do you post videos, pictures and texts on your social network platforms with the thought that a potential employer will do a search on you? To a larger extent, you share those posts with an open mind not with the thought that hiring officers will search your profile. So usually, you present your true-self. This is the genuineness that employers search for. Jonathan A. Segal, a contributing editor to HR Magazine indicated in his article (Social Media Use in Hiring: Assessing the Risk) that employers use background checks to get the clearer picture of the applicant more than what the interview unveils. Jonathan further argued that social media check is one way to enhance background screening in deciding whether an applicant should be hired. In addition to the research done by careerbuilder.com, it discovered that hiring officers browse applicants’ social media profiles to assess the actual character and personality of the applicants. When hiring officers search the profile of applicants, they do not go in pursuit for the negative personality of the applicants. They browse profiles in order to ensure that the applicant is the best fit for the job. This involves the applicant fitting into the institutions’ corporate culture and whether he/she exhibits some forms of professionalism. In the same research done by careerbuilder.com, 65 percent of employers responded that candidates’ profiles are perused in order to discover whether they possess professional character. Additionally, 51 percent wants to know whether the applicant is the best fit for the company culture. When employers search, they find videos, pictures, text, résumés and the likes that can either be positive or negative for the applicant. In the survey by careerbuilder.com, it was further found that 34 percent of employers did not hire a job candidate due to provocative or inappropriate pictures and information posted on his or her profile. 45 percent resolved not to hire because of drinking and /or drug use on his/her social network profile. Other reasons were poor communication skills, discriminatory comments connected to gender, religion, race or qualifications that were not genuine. In spite of these discouraging outcomes, social media also serves as a market place for candidates as it is not all about the negatives of the candidates that employers look for. Through candidate’s profile, employers also find valuable information that works in favor of the candidate. Hiring officers discover information like volunteer experience, contents that display professional image, good communication skills and pieces of information that support the qualification and competence of the applicant, and the likes.

What can Job Seekers do to improve their Social Network Profiles in order to suit recruiters?

Recruiters understand that no one is perfect. But it is positive to try as much as possible to detach doubts from your social media profiles. This means, exercising prudence and good judgment in what you do on social media. To a large extent, your engagement on social media is a reflection of yourself. It will either help to sell you on the job market or discourage employers from hiring your services.

Do not Badmouth People and/or Complain friends or colleagues on Social Networks

It sends a bad signal to your would-be employer when you badmouth others. It speaks to the mind of the potential employer that when you are hired, you will always complain at job and badmouth your colleagues and/or bosses. These are against the spirit of professionalism and teamwork in a good working environment.

Do not Display Your Huge Partying Character

It is not bad to post an occasional drink picture on your profile, but the constant posting of pictures that depict your alcoholic drinking habit, use of drugs and or illegal substances is obviously detrimental to landing you a potential job. Employers will not want their institution to be associated with any employee who drinks alcohol a lot and take pride in posting such information on social media. Take it this way, how will you feel when you see your boss always posting pictures of himself drinking alcohol?

Do not Post Nude or Inappropriate Contents

Posting such contents does not exhibit professionalism. Job recruiters are searching for a job-fit candidate and additionally want an applicant that is professional in his or her activities.

Have a Good Usage of Grammar

Employers look for well-rounded employees. The use of good grammar or the display of good communication skills speaks to the employer that the applicant is an asset and can articulate his or her ideas well. So, always review your grammar on social media except your post is meant for a specific group of speakers or just for the fun with a tag.

Do not Post Pictures of Extremist Belief

Employers will not want to hire a candidate that holds allegiance to an extremist group. It even gives a negative image to the organization if the extremist related candidate were to be hired. So posting contents of such will ruin your chance of securing a job.

Political Affiliation

Except you will want to work with a specific political institution or organizations that require you to have a political affiliation, it is advisable not to state any political attachments in as much it is your freedom to do so. But remember, freedom is not absolute and in the context of developing countries, your political affiliations can be both positive and negative depending on where you find yourself. Take into serious consideration that many organizations and companies in the private sector are non-partisan institutions. Even in government, many ministries, agencies, corporations reject candidates with association to certain political party. Therefore, these institutions will not want to hire an applicant that has a political attachment even though this might be in violation of your right to association and choice. But again, you might not be told why you were not selected as that qualified candidate for the job.

Consistent Curriculum Vitae or Resume

Ensure that the resume or CV presented during application and the ones on your social media profiles are consistent. If there are deviations, it tells the employer that you are not sincere about your experiences and accomplishments. So, always update your CV and make ensure its uniformity in your dealings. Regular updates of CV are necessary since indeed from time to time, things add to your life and experience.

Adjust Your Privacy Settings

Adjust your privacy settings on your social networks to limit tags and open access to your profile, photos, videos, comments and other contents. For instance, you may be tagged in an inappropriate content; your settings can help stop that content from appearing on your profile. This is somehow a difficult personal choice in limiting access to your profile. But again, think about the negative consequences of inappropriate postings/images you are tagged in.

Way Forward

The good and bad sides of social media are evidently in abundance. From the context of employment, social media is now that power weapon at the disposal of employers. It serves both as a reference point of confirming your suitability or unsuitability for a job. In this age of technology and the advent of social media coupled with its daily widespread use globally, it is far too easier for employers to search on the character and personality of a potential employee or a job seeker through the use of social media. What is found on your social media profile or account could be a contributing factor to deciding your employability. From the series of surveys conducted by different groups and involving Human Resource Managers, it is clear that a positive image or portrayal of yourself on social media builds your chances in getting that dream job. On the other hand, a negative image of yourself does nothing but shut the doors of employment with employers who are concerned of your damaging social media character. This is why exercising professionalism and a sense of responsibility on social media is important as employers are now doing background checks on jobseekers. It is good to avoid negative posts including gossips, badmouthing and complaining about colleagues. Also, avoid posting nude images or inappropriate contents and constantly making grammatical mistakes even though it is social media. While your political affiliation is your freedom, it is advisable as a professional to keep cool on your political association – that is, if you are not into the domain of mainstream politics. Consistency in your CV always matters. So ensure that your CV presented to employers is consistent with the profile information you choose to mention on your social media account. Sharing information, connecting with friends and opening your social media profile to anyone is good, but make sure to control your settings, especially so restricting access to contents on your account and other tags someone might want to link you to. Observing these simple steps should be advantage to you as a job seeker whose potential employer will admire for your professionalism and responsibility, having demonstrated your competence and qualifications for a job.

It is usually said that the more than fourteen years of civil war that was fought in Liberia destroyed all fabric of the Liberian society. I undoubtedly agree with this statement. The crisis affected all sectors including the health sector. But the question remains ” how many years have we enjoyed peace after the more than fourteen years of civil war?” The last time I checked, we were celebrating ten years of of peace. Presently, we have enjoyed a little over ten years of peace. This achievement would not have been possible without the needed intervention of the international community beginning with the good people of Nigeria. Nigeria has always aided us whenever we needed help. They have always been the first country of response, sending peacekeepers to Liberia to curb whatever crisis.

This should be underscored ” Ten Years of Peace”. Even though fragile as many experts have asserted due to the shady economy, and other social vices, but the guns have been silent for over ten years. This has triggered the conduct of two successive and peaceful elections. The 2005 presidential election brought to the presidency, the first female President in Africa, Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. She has gone further to winning her second term(2011). Additionally, her government enjoys the “sweet” of the international community which has led to the acceptance of Liberia in the comity of nations. Unlike in the dark days, Liberians have some level of acceptance from other countries. With the international acceptance and investment from some of the world’s top companies, some pundits have revealed that the “sweet” has not triggered down to the common citizens. They averred that the high rate of weakness of the economy, corruption and other vices proved that the international acceptance and investment do not impart the lives of Liberians. With the existence of the Ebola epidemic in Liberia, experts are analyzing the effects of the disease on the already weak economy with unemployment rate very high, the weak health system and holistically, the lives of Liberians.

With all of these problems, my attention is focused on the health sector. The sector has been negatively overwhelmed with the Ebola epidemic. Health workers are at the full front in combating this illness. In the midst of limited numbers of health workers especially doctors, they are falling prey to the disease. The deaths of these health workers have been highly attributed to the lack of equipment especially protective gears. I watched a report from Dr. Richard Blesser of abc News through which I saw health workers at one of the Ebola treatment centers in Liberia used makeshift contamination suit to protect themselves in order to treat patients. They improvised to make some pieces of the protective gear out of contamination suit due to the insufficient protective clothing. Liberia Health Minister, Dr. Walter Gwenigale in an interview with Jonathan Paye-Layleh of BBC News in 2007, informed that Liberia had 120 trained doctors and 70 of those doctors was foreign doctors. He further averred that Liberia needed at least 1200 doctors to grapple with the huge demand in the health sector. In a recent statement which was published by the International Business Times, Dr. Frank Glover, who worked with the Christian charity, SIM in Liberia for more than three years, testified before a subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee of the US. He said “This Ebola outbreak in Liberia has exposed the country’s inherently weak health system,”. He informed further “Less than 200 doctors existed in this country of 4 million people prior to this epidemic. After the outbreak in March of this year, that number plummeted to only 50 doctors.” Unfortunately, there is no straight data on the number of doctors in Liberia. But if Dr. Glover and Health Minister’s statements are anything to go by, it indicates that Liberia still has a lot to do in training doctors to cope with the enormous problems that exist in the health sector. Liberia has two medical institutions that train Medical Doctors ( A.M. Dogliotti College of Medicine and Liberia College of Physicians and Surgeons, a post graduate program established to train medical specialists in surgery, internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology to independently manage surgical and medical problems ( allAfrica.com)). The latter is not even in full swing. Health authorities have revealed the A.M. Dogliotti College of Medicine produces between 6 to 12 graduates each year which is insufficient for the population. I am being informed by some students of A.M. Dogliotti College of Medicine that they have not been paid their stipends for some months now. Now, the questions being asked are ” Are there not many students interested in becoming doctors? Is the government not paying enough attention to the health sector(improving schools, provision or medical equipment, increasing incentives for health workers and others)? Are other institutions not investing into the health sector? Does the Ministry of Health have control on health issues in the country?”

In my previous posts, I emphasized that the Ebola Epidemic has hugely and glaringly uncovered the weakness of the health system. It has further scattered apart the sector. We are now enjoying over 10 years of peace with enormous international support. One would had thought that the extreme deficiency in the health sector could have been improved to an appreciable level to cater to the needs of the growing population. Education, employment, politics and every other thing cannot be possible when people are ill. After all of this, the government, international community, other institutions, Liberians will all need to help in improving the health system.

People all around the world have challenges with unemployment. Situations in developing or undeveloped countries as regards unemployment are in some ways different from those in developed countries. In underdeveloped or developing countries, the issue of high illiteracy, weak economy, bad governance and other vices extremely hinder the employment of people especially the youth. The bottom line is that unemployment exists in every society. Individuals search for means to secure employment and governments holistically search for other means to reduce their countries unemployment rate. Some of the efforts to reduce unemployment is manifested in the promotion of volunteerism.For this paper, I like to look at the relationship between volunteering and employment. Does volunteering automatically secure employment for volunteers? Are there benefits in volunteering? It will also give tips on volunteerism.

There are various definitions for volunteering and employment. Volunteering is defined in the UK as ‘… an activity that involves spending unpaid time doing something that aims to benefit the environment or individuals or groups other than (or in addition to) close relatives’ (Ellis Paine, A., McKay S. and Moroet D. 2013). Wikipedia defines volunteering as an altruistic activity and is intended to promote goodness or improve human quality of life. In return this Activity can produce a feeling of self-worth and respect. There is no financial gain involved for the individual.With these definitions, the grasp of key words or phrases like “unpaid time”, “benefits to environment or individuals or groups” , “altruistic activity” and “no financial gain” are all important in knowing the detail meaning of volunteering. I like to view volunteering as positively contributing to society through the use of one’s knowledge without the intent of receiving pay. This involves working at institutions or other places where society or environment benefits from the work of the volunteer. In a simpler way, I look at employment as acquiring pay for work done but not necessarily contributing to the society or environment.

There are some thoughts as to the relationship between volunteerism and employment. Some media have supported the notion that volunteering increases the prospects of securing job (ABC video, 2009; CBS News, 2011; US News, 2012; or Smart Money, 2011). Governments including the United States Federal Government via its Department of Labor also furthers similar idea. The Corporation for National and Community Service in its publication (Spera, C.; Ghertner, R., Nerino, A., DiTommaso, A. 2013), mentioned this statement from the former Secretary of Labor of the United States Government (“volunteerism can be a way to help unemployed workers expand their network of contacts, improve their résumés, and make a positive impression in a competitive job market.” Hilda S. Solis). The Nigerian and Liberian Governments through their National Youth Service and President Young Professional Programs respectively, are volunteer programs that back such idea. Additionally, the UK government through the Work Together, which is a pilot voluntary work scheme for unemployed youth in London and the Olympics Employment and Skill Strategy encourage or require the unemployed to do voluntary job. I also nurtured the same idea. Many young people, labor and human resource professionals have also pushed the idea that volunteering guarantees a job. I was shocked with the result I found after a research was done on the “relationship between the volunteerism and Employment.

The research found that there is no empirical or statistical data or research that has proven that volunteerism increases the prospects of securing job contrary to the thoughts of many.The relationship between employment and volunteering cannot be determined (Jorgensen H., 2013) . In her research paper ( Kamerāde D. 2013), she apprised that the majority of the unemployed voluntary volunteering does not significantly raise the chances of getting a job. Her research also stressed that volunteering has a weak or negative effect on the prospects of the majority of unemployed people in finding a new job. This research was prepared to question the extent to which empirical evidence supports this assumption that volunteering during unemployment is a stepping stone to paid work. There are many other researches that have proven against the global assumptions that volunteering is a conduit or stepping stone to getting job.

This article is not meant to discourage you from volunteering. In as much that there is no statistical finding that points to the high chances of securing paid job through volunteering, there are some isolated situations where volunteering at institutions brought about some entry jobs for the unemployed. More besides, there are other benefits volunteering accrues for volunteers.

Work environment varies from institution to institution. Volunteering usually gives the volunteer diverse ideas in getting work done. When this is done continuously, the volunteer becomes adapted to the modus operandi of that task and work environment thus learning new skills. These new skills prepare the volunteer for the world of employment. If given a paid job, the acquired skills from volunteering can be used to get the paid job done.

Build Network

Obviously, when you enter a new place, you get to meet other people you have not met before. This is the same with volunteering. When you volunteer at a new place, you get to meet people for the first time. Your new acquaintances can range from professionals within your career circle or other careers, new career chasers and those that have not yet began their career.Usually, these are people that supervise you, you supervise, you volunteer with, or volunteer for ( bosses) . They become your workmates. Your interactions via work or other professional means allows you to get to know them better and they also get to know you more. This builds your contacts not only with professionals but other individuals in the middle or down the career ladder. You never know. These are contacts that become important in securing a pay job or recommending you for a job. There are several instances of people using contacts from their volunteering job to secure employment not only at their volunteering institution but also at other institutions. It is always positive to keep good relationship with all contacts where you volunteer. It often pays off.

Building of CVs or Resumes

In recruitment, many employers will prefer an employee that has had prior experience in the field or area for which that employee is to be employed. The employer might not necessary require experience from a previous paid job. Volunteering helps to achieve this. This is important for people that have no prior job experience. Most inexperience people indicate volunteer jobs on their CVs or resumes. This indicates to would-be employers that you have had prior job experience. If the job requires prior experience, the experience from the volunteered job could aid in securing the paid job. I usually recommend that whether experienced or inexperienced, it is important to mentioned on your CV or resume, those important volunteer jobs you have done. It does not only show that you have some experience but indicates that you care for society and acquiring compensation from job is not a very high priority. The volunteer might have other internal reasons but many employers reason from that perspective. Caring about the society will depend on the institution you volunteer for. Usually, volunteering for charitable institutions shows that you care about society or environment. Many institutions or governments relate volunteerism to charitable or not- for- profit institutions. Most sponsored training applications and scholarships highly welcome applicants that volunteers for the society or environment. So, sharing with people and institutions verbally and via your CV or profile about your volunteer jobs and experiences, are very paramount in climbing the career ladder.

New Vocation or Occupation

Volunteering helps volunteers to choose their career pathway. When you volunteer, you try different types of task, meet with people and also grow work confidence. These compounded experiences help you to sometimes discover your inner passion from the various task performed, and also talking to peers and professionals in the same field. A youth camp volunteer wrote “I did not know I could speak in public and lead people until now. Thank you for allowing me to volunteer”. This volunteer was unaware that he was good at leading people until he volunteered as a camp worker. He has since gone to pursue a career in Human Resource Management to strengthen his abilities in motivating and leading people.

From a research standpoint, there is no statistical finding that points to the increase chances of acquiring employment through volunteering. Government, media, individuals that sponsor such idea that volunteering secures the volunteer a paid job are actually based on assumptions and are meant to encourage people to volunteer. Volunteering is a great tool to contributing to society. From the above reading, you have understood that there are benefits that volunteers accrued from volunteering. The building of networks, resumes and finding new occupations are some benefits volunteers acquire from volunteering. These benefits competitively prepare volunteers for employment. I do support the act of volunteering. People that are beginning to build their career and are unemployed should consider volunteering. Volunteer is an easy means of building your career until employment comes.